Fasig | Brooks Law Offices announced today that attorneys Ryan Molaghan and Dan Hogan have filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the family of Khali Knight, a 23-year-old U.S. Army veteran who was fatally shot on July 17, 2024, at ReNew Tallahassee apartments in Tallahassee, Florida. The lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, names VA8 Seminole Grand, LLC d/b/a ReNew Tallahassee (owner/operator), Trinity Property Consultants, LLC (property management), and Norwood Holdings, LLC d/b/a Signal of Central Tallahassee (private security) as defendants.
The complaint alleges the defendants were negligent in their duty to provide adequate security measures for residents and guests. Despite a documented history of prior shooting incidents and violent crimes on and around the premises, the defendants failed to implement reasonable safeguards, according to the lawsuit. "Khali Knight's untimely death was entirely preventable," said Attorney Ryan Molaghan. "The site of this senseless shooting has been a hotbed for serious violent crime, including several shooting deaths, for years and years."
The lawsuit alleges a litany of failures, including inadequate lighting, insufficient security patrols, lack of proper access controls, and failure to respond appropriately to the known pattern of violent criminal activity. The action further alleges that the contracted security company failed to fulfill its professional obligations, placing residents and visitors at an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm.
The perpetrator, who resided at ReNew Tallahassee at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to federal gun and drug offenses related to Knight's murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While the criminal justice system has delivered a measure of justice, attorneys emphasized that the civil case seeks accountability from those whose negligence created dangerous conditions. "A criminal conviction of the shooter does not absolve those who failed to prevent the violence in the first place from being held accountable," Molaghan stated. "Property owners and management companies, as well as security companies, have a legal obligation to keep people lawfully on the property safe."
The case highlights ongoing concerns about security at the apartment complex, located at 1505 West Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, Florida, the site of the former Seminole Grand. The lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants responsible for failing to address the known risks that led to a young veteran's death.
